The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-04-29
KENosHA SAFETY VAULT AND STORAGE

In September, 1886, entirely through
the efforts Of Mr.. U. ]. Lewis, the Keno
sha Safety Vault and Storage Co. was Or
ganized and incorporated by Messrs. u.
]. Lewis, 0. M. Petit and E. L. Grant ::
q. J. Lewis, manager. Work was i'm
mediately commenced, and the vaults
and fittings were completed and ready
for business, Jan. list, 1887. This bust
ness is entirely distinct and independent
of banking business. The rooms and
vaults are at the rear Of Dan. Head &
Co.'S banking rooms, and are entered
only through the latter.
The visitor to the safety and storage
vaults will pass through the banking
rooms, and entering President Heads
Office, is there stopped by massive iron
railing, reaching from floor to ceiling.
The attendant unlocks and pushes aside
a sliding door and they enter the COM
pany's reception room. This room has
marble floor the walls and ceiling are
finished with italian scratch.work in
the northwest corner is stairway lead
ing to the regions beneath at the
farther side are two coy private rooms,
where the patron may ensconce himself,
and feel secure from observation or in
terruption. At the right is the marble
front safety vault. The vault is a room
8x10 feet, s feet high, and contains
steel case of 164 boxes for the reception
of valuable papers and small parcels.
These boxes are numbered and provided
with double action locks, so arranged
that they cannot be opened except when
the owners key and the company's key
are both in their proper key-holes and
both turned at the same time. When
the owner of a box gives it up, the lock
is removed and another one put in its
place, so that the previous owner cannot
open it. These boxes are rented on as
favorable terms as are those of any safety
vault Of equal convenience and security.
The walls and ceiling of this vault are of
stone and brick mason work, four feet
thick, with two air spaces, and stand
from the building, and so ar
ranged that the Waterman can pass over
and around the vault to see that nothing
has been tempered with. The vault is
completely lined with three plates of
diamond steel and unbreakable iron.
The doors of this vault are first, inside
an iron wicket, locked with key a
pair of heavy folding doors, fastened by
duplex combination locks then the
outside door of eight plates of chilled
steel, "a lock-bolts, provided with two
time locks and duplex combination
locks. This door, when shut and locked,
cannot be opened until the time locks
have released the "a bolts, and even then
it is impossible to open it except by
some one who knows the combination. |
This door, when closed and locked, fits
the jams with perfect alright joints !
Passing down the stairway, one enters
another room of the same size as the
one above, and Immediately beneath
the vault above is another of equal size
and strength as the other, around which |
there is a passage to permit the watch |
man to see that all is safe. This is the
storage vault where the more bulky |
articles are placed for safe keeping. |
These vaults were built and fitted up by |
The Hall Safe and Lock Co" of Cincin-
natl, who are the pioneers Of this kind |
Of business, and they offer $500 10 anyt